Duplex cleaner for windshields



H C .TRIPP.

DUPLEX CLEANER FOR WINDSHELDS.

AFPLICATION FILED LAN-12,1918.

Patented May 4,1920:

ATTORNEY.

HENRY G. TRIPP, OF AUBURN, hi'Ell Yillfilll.

DUPLEX CLEANER- FOR WXNDFSHIELDS.

weasel.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented stay 4, 1920'.

Application filed January 12, 1918. Serial No. 211,542.

! 0 all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI .G. TRIPP; a'

citizen of the United States of America,

' .and resident of Auburn, in the county of exact description.

Cayuga, in the Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Duplex Cleaners for \Vindshields, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and

This invention relates to certain improvements. in duplex cleaner for wind shields involving the use of a pair-of opposedwiping devices for simultaneously removing dust, moisture snow and other foreign matter from both sides o'fcthe transparent plates of said shield. i

I am aware that certain forms of duplex cleaners for this purpose have heretofore been proposed in which t wipers were mounted upon permanently connected spring arms necessitating the removal of the wipers from said arms in order to spring the latter over the guide-rail, along and upon which the cleaner, as a whole, was.

mounted, but even under those conditions it became necessary to spring the arms apart to such an extent as to weaken. the springs, so that when the device was installed for use the contact of the wipers with the glass was more or less uncertain.

The main. object of my present invention is to obviate the necessity for springing the wiper supports apart when installing or removing the device upon and from its supporting rail which object is accomplished by inakinp one of the clamping;devices de-.

tachablcfrom the other device.

Another object is to provide for lateral adjustments of the wipers relatively to the supporting arms to assure perfect contact between the wipers and opposite faces of: the glass or shield.

A further object is to construct the wipers so that they may be reversed when either wiping edge becomes worn or otherwise ilnpaired.

A still further object is to provide'siniple means for moving the cleaner back and forth across the glass plate of the shield.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is an inner face view of an ordinary double glass wind shield and my improved cleaner mounted thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 2-2. Fill. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view ofthe clamping connection between the opposite cleaning devices takenin plane of line 3-3, Fig.

Figs. a and 5 are enlarged detail sectional views taken, respectively, in the planes of lines 4 1 and 5-5; Fig. 2.

As illustrated, this cleaner is adapted to be used for simultaneously cleaning both sides of the transparent plate -(t-- of a wind shield A- having the usual top and bottom 'a'il -a;"- and end rails e and comprises a. pair of opposed cleaning. dc vices --1- and -l"- and a -connectingmember --2- constituting what may he termed a duplex cleaner which is movable across and in contact with opposite faces of the glass from end to end thereof: in a manner hereinafter described.

The opposed cleaning devices -1-- and -1 are substantially identical,--'-in that each comprise a pair of similar interchangeable and reversible wipers porting arms i and therefor, each wiper consisting of a pair of clamp ing plates -5 and an. interposed flexible blade or scraper --6-- of rubber or equivalent material.

The connecting" member -2 tor the cleaning devices preferably consists of a curved sheet metal plate having: its inner concave face provided with a felt or equivalent lining --7 adapted to lit over and upon the upper face and apposite sides at the top rail --aof the wind shield frame to support thecleaning devices therefrom and permit them to be moved. longitudinally u thereof without excessive noise or wear of the enamel of said raih the length of the connecting member ---2-- being sufhcient to properly hold the cleaning devices in op posed parallel relation during such niovement and also when at re v The arms --tand -e'l are alsolpreferably made of sheet metal and are similar in form and size except that one of them, as is shown as rigidly and per-111w nently secured hy,,.hrazing or equivalent fastening means at its upper end to one side of the head. or connecting member 2-,

2--, and for this purpose is bifurcated or slotted at a tor rm'eiving a clamping bolt -l) on the head, 2---, which clamping bolt is engaged by a thumb nut -l0--- tor firmly clamping the adjacent end of the member --4---* in its opentive position, and at the same time permitting it to be readily removed by simply loosening the nut- 10- and withdrawing the arm l with the wiper thereon downwardly when installing or removing the cleaner as a whole upon and from the winll shield.

That is, when it is desired to install the cleaner upon the wind shield one of the cleaning devices, as -l-, is removed in the manner described, whereupon the other cleaning device, as -l may be placed against the glass will the head 2 resting upon the top rail -.-awhich assures contact of the inner edge of the corresponding blade 6 and holds said device in its proper position, after which the slotted end of the arm -4l:--vith.the wiper 3 thereon is registered with the clamping bolt -9- and wedged between a pair of opposed flanges -ll-- on the adjacent side of the connectingmember ---2 by upward movement between the nut 10 and adjacent face of the connecting member 2 until. the arm 4: reaches the limit of its upward movement as determined by the end of the slot engaging the bolt -,9--, whereupon the nut-'l0 may be tightened by hand to firmly hold the detachable cleaning device in its adjusted position.

This detachability of one oi the cleaning devices is important,--in that it obviates the necessity for removing either of the wipers- 3 from its supporting arm and also avoids excessive spreading of the arms -4-- and --4;"-- in placing the cleaner, as a whole, over and. upon its supporting rail. as a, as would be necessary if both of the clean-- ing deviceswe're permlalmntly attached to the connecting member or head 2 The wipers --3- are preferably of the same lengtl-i,-aiearly equal to the vertical width of the upper section of the sectional windshield, or that portion of any other wind shield which afi'ords clear vision ahead of the machine, said wipers being preferably arranged in the same transverse plane and also in the same horizontal plane so as to engage directly opposite Faces of the glass as the cleaner is moved .back and forth lengthw se thereof.

The damping plates -*fiof each pair preferably consist of flat sheet metal strips ot the same width having straight and parallel longitudinal edges, and are provided at i'i'itervals throughout their lengths with registering apertures for receiving clamping bolts or screws -l2- passing through corresponding apertures in the blade 6 for firmly clamping the blades between the ads jacent laces of said plates and together with the plates constitute a holder for the blade 6---.

The opposite arms land 4- we tend downwardly from the upper rail -a' approximately half way across, the upper wind shield section -(zand are provided. near their lower ends with opposite pairs of i-nturned flanges -13--, those of each pair being spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive between them the corresponding 'w1per 3-, and are provided with registering laterally elongated slots -,14lfor receiving pivotal pins 15, which are passed through registering apertures in said wiper to pivotally support the latter upon the arms 'land lfor lateral swinging movement and also for lateral adjustment to enable the inner edges of the blades '-6-- to be brought into contact with the adjacent faces of the glass -aat all points throughout their lengths.

That is, by pivoting the wipers to the lower ends of their supporting arms -l and --4- permits them to automatically contact at all points in their lengths with the glass when properly adjusted, while the slots -l=l permit the bodily adjustment of the wipers to compensate for wear and to assure a more perfect contact, the pivotal pins being held in their adjusted positionbv thumb nuts l(5-.

g The detachable cleaner section -1'--- is preferably located at the inner side of the glass where it is readily accessible for re moval or replacement bythe driver from the seat and is t lso provided with a handle 17 by which the cleaner as a whole may be moved back and forth when necessary.

)r, for greater convenience this movement of the cleaner may be effected by means of a cable 18* having its ends attached to suitable eyes -l!) on opposite sides of the detachable supporting arm and its intermediate portion passed around suitable sheaves -),(lon the end rails -aso that the operator may engage any portion thereof for shifting the cleaner in either d ircction.

'lhe wipers -i are prelhrably reversible so that either edge may be used next to the glass in case one edge becomes worn or otherwise impaired, and lor this purpose the blades (iare cruised to roject slightly beyond opposite edges of their re spective sets of clamping plates 5-- and usually consist of flat 'iieces of rubber or equivalent flexible material capable of pro ducing a wiping or brushing effect upon the surface of the glass without liability of not be suflicient to remove the foreign atter; from the glass; the wipers may be readily set up thereto by simply loosening the nuts '--16- and moving the wipers inwardly; and then. re-tightenin g the nuts to hold the \vipers in their adjusted position without in any way interfering with the friee pivotalmovement thereof about the pivotal pins --15'': i A

The cleaner as a whole may be moved back and forth either by the handle --17- or cable -1-8--, and ifit should become neces sary to remove the cleaner at.any time, this can be done by simply loosening the thumb nut -1O and withdrawing thearm -4' with the wiper -3 thereon downwardly to diseon'nect'it from the head 2 whereupon thehead and cleaner, section -1-:- may the 7 glass, butif at any time the contact should,

be readily displaced laterally by a slight upward and forward movement.

In reverse manner, the cleaner may beinstalled, thereby avoiding the necessity'of removing either'of the wipers 't'ronitheir supports andalso avoiding excessive spreading of the arms 4 andl', all of which features are important in t h'eiiiciency and convenience of operation of the device.

What I claim is:-

The combination of a head slidable along and upon the top rail of a wind shield and provh ed, at one side with a pendant'urm and at its-opposite side with a vertical guideyvay, a separate arm having its upper end slidable -in said guideway, means for detachably securing the last named arm in the guideway anda pair of-wipers pivotally mounted on the lower ends of said arms. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of December, 1917. HENRY C. TRIP-P. Witnesses; a

- H. E. CHASE, v ALICE-M. CANNON. 

